Baseline of Attraction
by ChaoticByDesign
Summary: Paige hadn't expected or been prepared for the feelings that Walter stirred within her heart. There were days when his smug arrogance made her want to throttle him and his 197 IQ, but then there were those unexpected moments when he would do or say something that proved his emotional quotient wasn't as low as he claimed.


**Author Notes: This is my first attempt at Scorpion fan fiction. Just a one shot for now, but it may become a series of one shots if inspiration strikes again and there is enough interest. I did my best to correct any errors in spelling/grammar, but I don't have a beta, so if I missed anything, please be forgiving.**

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><p>Paige hadn't expected or been prepared for the feelings that Walter stirred within her heart. There were days when his smug arrogance made her want to throttle him <em>and<em> his 197 IQ, but then there were those unexpected moments when he would do or say something that proved his emotional quotient wasn't as low as he claimed. He was a better father figure to Ralph than Drew had ever been, despite her ex's current attempts at fatherhood now. Walter's care and protectiveness of her son, more than anything, had been what had broken down the walls around her carefully guarded heart.

Those feelings, however, had become a secret she didn't dare share. She knew Walter considered her an important part of the Scorpion cyclone, but as far as she could tell, what he felt for her was no different than what he felt for Happy, Sylvester or Toby. She was part of the team, a friend, and she tried to be content with that, as hard as it was.

That had all changed the night of Lebeaux's party. While on the dance floor trying to clone their target's phone, the air between them had changed. At first, she had attributed his awkwardness to his discomfort with dancing in general, but then their eyes had locked and what she saw in his had given her hope. In the dark depths of his gaze had been warmth and a gentle possessiveness tinged with fear. Even more telling had been the stiff set of his shoulders as he had watched her dance with Lebeaux after the man had cut in.

The idea of Walter being jealous was such a foreign concept that she had initially done nothing. It was easy to convince herself that she had just imagined the emotions she'd seen in his eyes, a projection of her own hopes and desires rather than reality. But then Drew had waltzed back into her life and she had been forced to reassess her assumptions. Every time Drew came around, that stiffness returned to Walter's shoulders and several times when she had been speaking with her ex, she had caught the genius watching with what could only be described as a pained expression.

Still, she had been hesitant to broach the subject, as it wasn't just her whose heart would be broken if her suspicions were off base. Ralph needed the people of Scorpion in his life and she couldn't risk screwing that up by bringing potentially unrequited feelings into the mix. Her son's needs would always come first. Always.

-OoO-

"I still don't understand what happened with that cloning device." Sylvester announced out of the blue one day, a couple months after the case involving the forged artwork had been completed.

"Are you still stuck on that?" Happy sighed. "The job is done. We won. Give it a rest."

"But it shouldn't have happened. The odds are…." A brief pause as he did the math in his head. "…infinitesimal. I just don't understand how it could have reset."

"I do…"

Toby murmured in response, his words low enough that only Walter heard them as the behaviorist wandered by on his way to their miniature kitchen. The slight flex of a muscle in Walter's jaw was the only reaction, his eyes remaining steadfastly on his laptop. He was not surprised that Toby had figured out the truth, but there was no way he was going to give his friend the satisfaction by admitting to it. How he felt about Paige was no one else's business.

Rising to his feet without a word, he pretended not to notice Paige watching him as he wordlessly headed upstairs to the upper loft of the garage. After the briefest of hesitations, took things a step further and followed a second set of stairs that led up to the rooftop. Walking a short distance out into the sunshine, he allowed a soft sigh to escape him as he ran a hand through his hair and tried to bring his raging thoughts back under control.

When Paige had first joined Scorpion, he had dismissed his fascination with her as nothing more than a byproduct of his interest in Ralph. She was the boy's mother, and as such, was a source of interest in relation to how the boy genius related to the world. But the more time he spent around her, the more he saw her as something more than just the mother of a genius. Paige was brave, compassionate and completely un-intimidated by the genius minds that surrounded her. She was, in a word, extraordinary, and every day that passed made it harder and harder for Walter to ignore the way his heart flipped over every time she smiled at him.

"Walter?"

Walter felt something in his chest clench when he heard Paige's voice behind him, but forced his features into nonchalance as he turned to face her, slipping his hands into his pockets. It was a forced attempt to keep a casual air, but thankfully the confinement of his hands hid the slight tremble in his fingers as he met her gaze.

"What is it?"

Paige said nothing at first, several emotions he couldn't decipher flickering over her beautiful features before she took a slow breath and her expression turned determined. It was the same expression she got anytime she had to scold one of them for a breach in social etiquette and he stifled a sigh, wondering what he'd done _now_. Her words when she spoke, however, were not anything he would have expected.

"What happened with the cloning device at Lebeaux's party? Why did it reset?"

Walter was certain his heart stopped for a moment as his mind processed her query, but he kept his features schooled so that his face didn't betray him. He felt an irrational surge of anger toward Toby, assuming briefly that he had said something to Paige, but he dismissed that idea almost as soon as it crossed his mind. Toby wouldn't betray his trust like that. The most logical assumption was that Paige had her own suspicions about what had really happened that night… and didn't that thought send his heart racing. Still, there was some hope to keep his secret feelings hidden, so he shrugged as if the malfunction of the cloning device had been nothing of great interest.

"No technology is perfect. Glitches happen."

Frowning, Paige studied Walter's face as he replied, searching for some hint of his thoughts or feelings, but as usual, she came up stumped. He was practically an expert at keeping up a nonchalant expression, but somehow, she wasn't buying it. Maybe it was woman's intuition or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on her part, but she truly felt there was more to what happened that night than what he was telling her. He had been too quick to leave the room when Sylvester had brought up the subject and too studious in ignoring her questioning look as he walked away. Shaking her head, she forged on.

"I may not be a genius, but I understand what it means when Sylvester says that the probability of a spontaneous reset is infinitesimal."

"Infinitesimal doesn't mean impossible."

He was so calm and detached in his responses, doubt began to cloud Paige's mind. Maybe she really was just projecting her own emotions onto him. The problem was, she wanted him to look at her the way he had when they were dancing. She wanted that almost as much as her next breath. Knowing she was probably grasping at straws, Paige sighed before meeting his gaze and just voicing her suspicions straight out in a last ditch attempt at getting him to admit what her heart longed to hear.

"Did you reset the device?" When he said nothing and looked away from her, she took a step closer, her heart beginning to pound. "Walter?"

Walter couldn't breathe. He could feel the weight of her gaze on him and he couldn't breathe. It would be so easy to tell her she was wrong, to insist that the cloning device had simply malfunctioned, despite the improbability. But when he finally shifted his gaze back to hers, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. She was searching his face as if the answers to all of life's most important questions were hidden there and before he could stop himself, the truth slipped from his lips in a breathless exhale.

"Yes."

For a moment, she looked stunned, her voice equally as soft when she spoke. "Why?"

Several thoughts skipped across his mind in the space of a heartbeat, each one more damning than the last. _Because you are unlike any woman I've ever known. Because I liked the feeling of you in my arms. Because I think I might be falling in love with you._ Each declaration tangled on the tip of his tongue and he could do nothing but shrug with the slightest shake of his head.

For the first time since she had met him, Paige saw the steadfast confidence that Walter usually wore like a shield completely stripped away. There was a vulnerability to him in this moment, an uncertainty that tugged at her heartstrings. He didn't answer her question, but then he didn't have to. There was heat in his gaze when he looked at her now, warmth that he was trying, but failing to hide.

The tension and uncertainty that had been strangling her heart unraveled like a kite string on the wind and she took a slow step toward him, smiling softly as she noted how his eyes followed her every move. What she saw in that dark gaze gave her courage and another step brought her close enough that she was able to reach out and wrap one hand gently around his tie. His eyes widened slightly when she used it to tug him closer, his hands coming loose from his pockets and fluttering slightly at his sides as if he weren't sure what to do with them.

She felt more than heard him suck in a soft breath as she closed the last bit of distance between them and brushed his lips with her own. It was a gentle thing, a mere whisper of a kiss, but it was also an invitation as she put her heart in his hands and waited to see what he would do with it. A tremor ran through his form, but then his hands were on her hips, drawing her closer as their lips met again, this time more fully.

Walter couldn't breathe again, this time for an entirely different reason. When Paige had followed him up onto the roof, he never would have dared hope for this outcome. He felt almost drunk at the feel of Paige's mouth on his and his lips moved against hers with more purpose now, his tongue tracing the line of her lower lip, seeking. A soft sound of pleasure rumbled in his chest when she granted him access, one hand lifting from her hip to cup the back of her head and tilt it slightly so he could thoroughly explore her mouth with his tongue. Paige's arms wound around his neck as they kissed, her fingers threading in to the hair at the back of his neck and sending tingles down his spine.

It felt as if every neuron in his brain were firing at once in complete sensory overload, leaving his heart pounding and his head spinning. His hand at her hip slid around to her lower back to pull her even closer, molding their bodies together from thigh to chest and sending a flash of heat through his veins. When the need for air finally forced their lips apart, he stood there almost trembling in the aftermath, his forehead resting lightly against her own as he continued to hold her close.

"Walter?"

Paige couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice when she said his name and was not surprised to see Walter arch a curious brow, a puzzled smile quirking the corner of his mouth as he pulled back just enough to look at her. Her pulse was still racing from being thoroughly kissed by a genius, but her heart felt as light as air. She knew a relationship with Walter wouldn't be easy, but some things and especially some people were worth the effort. Grinning a bit in return, leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Next time you want to dance with me, just ask."

Her words were rewarded with a soft chuckle as he ducked his head sheepishly. Walter's breath tickled her neck as he replied, his voice husky in a way that sent warmth curling through her stomach as she stood there in the strong circle of his arms.

"I'll keep that in mind."


End file.
